When you think of Vietnam, stand-up comedy probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.
But Ankita Ghosh wants to change that.
In this episode of You Don’t Know Vietnam, we sit down with Ankita – creative director by day, stand-up comic by night, and the force behind Saigon International Comedy – who moved to Vietnam expecting an advertising gig and ended up finding something funnier.
Key takeaways:
- Why Vietnamese comedy is still a bit… shy
- The secrets behind Durex’s viral marketing magic
- How it feels to tell raunchy jokes in a country where nobody laughs out loud (but they want to)
From Bangladesh to Saigon (and onto the stage)
Ankita didn’t move to Vietnam to make people laugh.
She arrived as a creative director, fresh out of five intense years in Bangladesh’s advertising scene. But as soon as she landed in Saigon, she noticed two things:
- People leave the office on time.
- Stand-up comedy was waiting for someone like her.
“In Bangladesh, no one cared about work-life balance. In Vietnam, a designer told me, ‘You might not have work-life balance, but I do.’ I was shell-shocked.”
In Bangladesh, no one cared about work-life balance. In Vietnam, a designer told me, ‘You might not have work-life balance, but I do.’ I was shell-shocked.
Ankita Ghosh
Comedian & Creative Director
Sex sells… if you know how to say it
Speaking of work, Ankita’s proudest campaign? Durex.
And it wasn’t easy. Sure, innuendos work in English. But in Vietnamese? That’s another game.
“We had to make taboo jokes work in Vietnamese. I told my copywriter: this English is your guide, but make it local. Don’t just translate.”
The team’s quick, cheeky, always-on content turned Durex into a household name – from Fast & Furious puns to Messi memes. Vietnamese netizens even began asking, “What does Durex say about this?”
Stand-up life: raunchy, risky, rewarding
When Ankita steps on stage, she talks about dating, private parts, and all the messy bits of life. In Melbourne, her show was called Gen Triple X (she’s Gen X… and also, well, triple X).
“In Melbourne, people laugh out loud. Here, it’s more giggles – like, they find it funny, but aren’t sure if it’s okay to laugh.”
Vietnam’s comedy scene, she explains, has its limits.
Rule #1: Don’t joke about the government.
Rule #2: There is no Rule #2.
But that single rule shapes everything.
“You can joke about sex, dating, even religion to some extent. But politics? That’s the red line nobody crosses.”
You can joke about sex, dating, even religion to some extent. But politics? That’s the red line nobody crosses.
Ankita Ghosh
Comedian & Creative Director
It’s a stark difference from Melbourne or New York, where political satire is a staple of stand-up. In Vietnam, comics navigate their sets carefully, focusing on everyday life, dating disasters, and the universal awkwardness of being human.
And if they can make people laugh without crossing the line? That’s a skill in itself.
From scattered open mics to a global stage
When Ankita first arrived in Vietnam, stand-up comedy felt like an expat niche – scattered open mics in smoky bars, a few die-hard comics testing jokes in English.
Today, it’s a different story. International comedians are adding Saigon to their Asia tours, and Ankita’s shows now attract a solid 40% Vietnamese audience.
“If we depend only on expats, it won’t survive. We need young Vietnamese people watching English comedy – and they’re coming.”
Still, Vietnamese humour tends to lean slapstick and avoids darker themes. But things are changing. Local comics are starting to experiment, and Ankita makes it a point to include at least one Vietnamese stand-up in every show she curates.
“We’re slowly building an audience that appreciates stand-up as an art form, not just a funny karaoke night.”
And while Vietnam’s comedy scene grows, Ankita is eyeing the global stage.
She’s working on her debut hour-long show to tour in Berlin and New York, bringing with her the stories and humour she’s honed across cultures. But Saigon remains her first love – and she dreams of putting it firmly on Asia’s comedy map.
“Russell Peters is performing in Singapore and Malaysia. He should come to Vietnam too.”
Vietnam’s stand-up scene is growing – fuelled by expats, daring locals, and comics like Ankita who aren’t afraid to say the things people only giggle about.
And if you ever see her on stage talking about sex, private parts, or why Vietnamese audiences don’t laugh out loud – just know, they’re definitely laughing on the inside.
